Characters: The Shoemaker's Holiday

The king of England: Playing only a minor role, he appears only at the end of the action to pardon the faithful lovers, reward those who deserve it, and spread his wisdom and mercy across the kingdom.

Sir Hugh Lacy: The earl of Lincoln, a member of the aristocracy, and uncle of Roland Lacy, he objects to the marriage between Roland and Rose, on the grounds that Roland shouldn’t marry beneath himself into the middle class. To stop the marriage he has his nephew given a command in the army which is leaving for a war in France.

Roland Lacy: Sir Hugh Lacy’s nephew, he is in love with Rose and leaves the army to disguise himself as Hans Meulter, a Dutch shoemaker, so he can court her. Eventually Roland and Rose triumph over all the obstacles placed in front of them to marry and unite the two classes.

Askew: Roland Lacy’s cousin, he is also inducted into the army. When Roland decides to leave the army and stay in England, he turns his command over to Askew.

Cornwall

Lovell

Dodger: A servant of Sir Hugh Lacy.

Sir Roger Oatley: For most of the play the lord mayor of London, he loses his position to Simon Eyre when he becomes rich and powerful. He is Rose’s father and at first only mildly objects to her marriage to Roland, secretly hoping for the marriage into a higher level of society will happen. However, when Rose proposes to marry Roland disguised as Hans, Sir Roger vehemently objects, for the same reason that Sir Hugh Lacy earlier objected: the difference in class. Yet, like Sir Hugh, Sir Roger also cannot stop the marriage in the end.

Rose Oatley: The daughter of Sir Roger Oatley, she is very much in love with Roland. Eventually she and Roland are married, to the joy of the working class, and with the blessing of the king.

Sybil: Rose’s maid.

Hammon: A London gentleman, he accidently meets Jane while hunting and immediately falls in love with her. He and Jane both believe her husband, Ralph, has died in the war, and eventually plan to wed. However, Ralph (still very much alive) returns from France just in time to stop the nuptials.

Warner: Hammon’s brother-in-law, he parallels Hammon in most things, including his love. Upon meeting Rose’s maid, Sybil, he also falls head-over-heels in love.

Scott: A friend of Sir Roger Oatley.

Simon Eyre: A happy and very middle-class shoemaker, he eventually, mostly through exceptional luck, rises to the position of lord mayor of London.

Margary Eyre: Simon Eyre’s wife, she is the butt of many lower-class jokes, many of which she deserves because of her pretentiousness when she rises from the wife of a lowly shoemaker to the wife of the lord mayor.

Roger: Nicknamed Hodge, he is the foreman in Eyre’s cobbler shop.

Ralph Damport: A journeyman in Eyre’s cobbler shop, he is sent off to war, even though he only recently married Jane. He is wounded and returns to London just in time to learn his wife (who thinks him dead) is ready to marry Hammon. Rallying his fellow workers around him, he stops the marriage and shows the spirit and strength of the tradesmen.

Jane: Ralph’s wife, she is very much middle-class, as well as a loving wife, who turns to Hammon only after she is sure her husband is dead.